Jim Sutton At Veterinarians' Conference

President Susan Morris, ladies and gentlemen,
thank you for inviting me to open your
conference.

Veterinarians have an important role to play
in New Zealand society.

More than 60 per cent of our
export earnings are earned by the agricultural sector many
of that involving animals which need a vet's care from time
to time.

Your involvement has directly contributed to the
success of our agricultural exports.

The veterinary
profession is critical to the health and welfare of New
Zealand animals ? the image of this country which results
from your care for our animals directly affects the success
of our exports.

Veterinarians are the most frequently used
source of professional advice regularly in contact with
farmers.

New Zealand's reputation is high and this is
enhanced by the veterinary profession's active participation
in international groups such as the OIE in Paris, the Codes
Alimentarius and the World Veterinary Association.

You
will all be aware that we now have a new piece of
legislation governing animal welfare. The Animal Welfare Act
1999 came into force on January 1 this year and marks a
milestone in the development of New Zealand's animal welfare
system.

It ensures New Zealand remains at the forefront
with some of the world's most progressive and comprehensive
animal welfare law.

New Zealand enjoys a good animal
welfare reputation and it's one I am proud of.

Our
reputation is a credit to all those involved in animal
productions, husbandry, care and welfare, and the use of
animals in research.

I acknowledge and thank your
profession for the contribution you make to animal
welfare.

Aside from a moral or ethical responsibility to
treat animals well, animal welfare is recognised as an
important strategic marketing issue.

The consumer demand
for products to be produced in an animal welfare-friendly
manner is on the increase. New Zealand is in a strong
position to fully exploit the opportunities this
offers.

While having a commercial focus, this can only
support the welfare objectives of your association, MAF, and
other key groups.

Existing World Trade Organisation rules
preclude the use of animal welfare issues as non-tariff
trade barriers to prevent market access. By continuing to
actively participate in bilateral, regional and multilateral
trade negotiations, both MAF and the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade will continue to ensure that animal
welfare is not used as a market access issue.

Animal
welfare is, however, much more likely to affect consumer
perceptions of New Zealand agriculture in general and
specific livestock products in particular. This, in turn,
can directly impact on market share and the premium prices
that can be commanded in sophisticated markets. Major
retailers, such as those in Britain for example, can move
faster than governments, they can cut off a suppliers'
livelihood by stopping contracts and can ignore
international trade agreements.

While Europe as a whole
has to adhere to the WTO and cannot ban imports on animal
welfare grounds, retailers are free to do so. This has not
escaped the notice of that loosely organised group of
anarchists who operate within the respectable cloak of
socalled civil society. They will seize upon any issue where
the natural instincts of decent people to be kind to
animals, can be harnessed to disrupt international trade and
indeed capitalism in general. Both of which are anathema to
much of civil society.

Product positioning is an area
where industry stakeholders can exercise the greatest
influence. The quality assurance programmes developed by
the New Zealand deer and pig industries are good examples.
These programmes recognise animal welfare as a key component
of the overall quality assurances that the consumer
requests.

The veterinary profession has a significant role
in the sustainability of agriculture and food production.
The optimum human population has been calculated to be 3
billion people and we already have double that.

New
Zealand will continue to be a significant source of food for
the world. This will require us to continue to exploit our
existing land and water resources without further
degradation, despite the need for greater output.

The
Government recognises the importance of the continued use by
the veterinary profession of antimicrobial compounds to
maintain and enhance the health and welfare of all your
patients and to minimise animal suffering.

Some of you may
have an involvement in developing new remedies using gene
technology.

The Government has recently set up a Royal
Commission of Inquiry into the use of genetic modification
and I urge you to take part in that process.

While the
royal commission is working, it would be inappropriate for
me to comment on the issue.

But I must say that I feel
politicians and especially scientists have failed to take a
leadership role on the issue and have left opponents of that
new technology to define the issue for the public. Many
fears have been raised in people's minds ? at least some of
which are unfounded.

We have failed to allay those fears.
This perhaps could be an area your association might like to
do further work in.

At the same time, your profession must
continue to protect human health by assuring us all of the
safety of the food derived from animals.

One issue that
caused significant debate during the development and passage
of the Animal Welfare Bill was the tail docking of
dogs.

There is a wide range of opinion within society as
to whether tail docking of dogs is an acceptable practice.
However, it is generally concluded that the main reason for
doing it is cosmetic.

There is some disagreement over the
severity of pain or discomfort involved, and whether docking
has benefits in lessening the likelihood of later tail
injury or disease.

The act does not place any restrictions
on the tail docking of doges. That's because the select
committee which considered the bill felt there was
insufficient evidence to support an outright ban.

I am
aware your association has a policy opposing the routine
docking of dogs' tails, a policy which I personally
whole-heartedly support.

I encourage all of you as
veterinarians to carefully consider the ethical implications
of performing such a procedure.

Veterinarians, as experts
in animal health and care, have an influence on how wider
society treats its animals. You have the ability to
influence the way your clients care for their animals, and
you should use this ability widely and to best effect.

I
encourage you to build on the strength and expertise of your
profession. New Zealand is counting on you as one of the key
professional inputs to assure us of success in the
world.

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